NC moves up on vaccination list nationally, but CDC reports doses still sitting on shelves

Still, that boost doesn't come close to meeting vaccination demand in the state.

"The limiting factor right now is the availability of vaccine supplies. There is no question," said Dr. Leah Devlin, co-chair of the state’s Vaccine Advisory Committee.

North Carolina now ranks 17th nationally in terms of vaccinations per 100,000 residents – it's sixth for the total number of first doses administered – which is a marked jump from its No. 40 ranking just two weeks ago.

“It’s a one-time reset," she said.

As Wake's vaccine supply dwindles, wait list for shots grows

Wake County, for example, asked for 10,000 doses a week to supply its two vaccination clinics but will get only 3,900 doses for each of the next three weeks. Similarly, UNC Health has the capacity to vaccinate 30,000 people a week but will get only 8,000 doses.

Nationwide, just 54 percent of shots delivered have been used, the CDC reports.

“The bottleneck is at the state level," said Wes Wheeler, president of UPS Global Healthcare, which has shipped 25 million vaccine packages to 16,000 locations across much of the U.S. since mid-December.

"Some states are better than others. I can’t say which ones are which," Wheeler said. "I think that’s the challenge we have right now.”

North Carolina has administered 88 percent of its first doses, but just 32 percent of its second doses.

“We are holding that second dose because, as you know, the first dose really only confers about 50 percent immunity," she said.

Moving forward, she said, it will be crucial for health departments and hospitals to give shots as quickly as possible.

“What we didn’t know is that the federal government was going to drop down a requirement that you use it or you lose it," she said, noting the government is providing larger shipments to states with higher vaccination rates.

"We can’t afford in North Carolina not to get every vaccine that we can into our state," she said.

As new vaccines come to market, there’s hope for more supply.

“There’s a lot of innovation to come, and we need to do everything we can to vaccinate our population," Devlin said.

UPS is already gearing up for the surge, with more staff and more trucks on the road, Wheeler said.